M’s prospect Taijuan Walker named PCL Pitcher of the Week

Hours before he is expected to make his season debut at the major-league level, top Seattle Mariners prospect Taijuan Walker received a minor-league honor when he was named Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week on Monday.

Taijuan Walker was named the PCL Pitcher of the Week. (Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

The league gave Walker the award for the week of June 23 to 29 after Walker posted a nine-inning shutout in the Tacoma Rainiers’ 2-0 win against the Oklahoma City RedHawks on June 24. In a game that took just two hours, the 21-year-old gave up just four hits and one walk, recording a season-high eight strikeouts.

Walker is the first Rainiers player to earn the honor this season. It’s the second time he has received weekly honors in his career, as the league honored him for the week of August 19 to 25 in 2013.

In six games this season with the Rainiers, Walker has a record of 2-1 and 4.11 ERA. He has bounced back from a shoulder injury he suffered prior to the season, holding opposing hitters to a .190 average in his minor-league starts in 2014.